Our church is a multicultural group of people that form a family called Brentwood Park Alliance Church. We believe that God loves everyone, has shown his love for us through Jesus Christ, and wants to help us live more meaningful and fulfilling lives. We would love to have you visit our church on a Sunday or drop in to one of the activities that we have during the week.
Worship Services - Sundays at 10:30am
A time of worship and a practical message from God's Word. Our Sunday morning services are casual and easily understandable.
We have high-quality programs for children and youth during the service.
Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need help.
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Context of Philippians 3:12-21
A continuation of the preceding section (3:1-11)
“Not that I already...” → points back in contrast to what Paul has just said:
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)
Paul’s main thought
following Jesus is a life-long journey
you don’t “arrive” until you reach the finish line
a change in metaphor from accounting to athletics
running a race
in the verses that follow Paul gives some keys to running to finish the race
Key words and phrases
“obtained”
to receive, to take hold
the initial decision to “receive” Christ – to take hold of Christ Jesus – leads to a life-long pursuit of taking hold of all that God has for us in Christ Jesus
“made perfect”
being complete, mature, fully grown
in the passive voice → what God does in us as we submit to him
…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion… Phil. 1:6
…it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Phil. 2:13
“press on”
to pursue passionately, to follow zealously
same word used by Paul with reference to persecuting the church (Phil. 3:6)
when Christ Jesus took hold of Paul’s life he redirected for his mission the passion and energy Paul had used to persecute the church
“one thing”
the highest priority in Paul’s life is his calling by God in Christ Jesus
all his effort is focused on this one thing
“forgetting”
to disregard, overlook
following Jesus will always involve leaving the past behind
past failures, past experiences (both good and bad), past achievements
Paul counted as loss those things he had held in high regard (3:4-6)
“straining toward”
to stretch out towards, extending, exert oneself to the uttermost
“Faith is not simply a decision in the past or a static state of existence; faith is running a race, straining toward what is ahead.” G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians
“make clear”
to reveal, to disclose or unveil, bring to light
a term that is only used to describe God’s activity in revelation, and never used with reference to human activity or communication
of significance in this is having the right attitude of mind that is also a mark of spiritual maturity (3:16)
“live up to”
originally a military term – to hold fast, to keep in step with, to be in line with
our problem most often is not needing to know more but to live up to what we already know
